Understanding The Role Urgent Care Can Play In Your Life

When it comes to your healthcare needs, you may not always be sure of what type of care provider your should seek out for any given situation. Between different types of clinics, primary care doctors, hospitals, and specialists, it can get quite confusing for anybody. In order to make this more clear, get to know more about the role that an urgent care clinic can play in your life and your healthcare routine. Then, you can be sure that if you need medical assistance, you go to the right physician or clinic for your needs.

Urgent Care Clinics Offer Extended Hours

Most primary care physicians offer daytime office hours Monday through Friday. This can be quite difficult for people who have full-time jobs during the day and have responsibilities such as picking up children in the early evening. To take time off from work  to go to the doctor can be all but impossible.

Additionally, illness and injury do not always occur within the constraints of primary care hours. Because of this, urgent care clinics can fill the gap for you in terms of the hours in which you can seek out care. If you fall and hurt yourself after your doctors office is closed or get sick on the weekend, you can go to an urgent care clinic to get the swift treatment you need.

Urgent Care Is Not Designed To Replace Your Primary Care Physician

While urgent care is a great supplemental tool for your medical care in off-hours for your primary care physician, these clinics are not designed to replace your primary care physician entirely. If you can get an appointment with your primary care doctor, that is where you should go for an illness, injury, or for routine care.

Be sure that you do not overuse the urgent care clinic and only seek services there when circumstances require it. On top of ensuring that other patients can get in for treatment, you will also ensure that your insurance company does not begin to question your medical visits and refuse to pay for them.

Urgent Care Is Only Right For Certain Ailments

Urgent care clinics are not right for every situation or medical condition. Minor injuries and general illnesses such as sinus infections, the flu, strep throat, and are all appropriate reasons to go to such a clinic.

However, if you have been in a major accident or suspect you have a broken bone or fracture, then you may want to head to the emergency room rather than an urgent care center. Additionally, chest pain, shortness of breath, or signs of stroke such as slurred speech or numbness on one side of the face or body, then you should also skip urgent care and head right to the hospital.

Now that you know some of the factors about urgent care, you can better understand how it can play a role in your life and be sure that you get the medical care that you need when you need it.